LONDON (AFP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has once again defied calls to resign over his “partygate” scandal during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session in the House of Commons.
Johnson was grilled by UK opposition leader Keir Starmer on Wednesday before the release of an official report into allegations of partying during lockdown.
Starmer accused Johnson of changing his story over the gatherings and misleading parliament, an offence which the prime minister agreed should trigger a resignation.
Asked if he would step down, Johnson replied, “No.”
“I don’t deny it, and for all sorts of reasons, many people may want me out of the way, but the reason why he (Starmer) wants me out of the way is because he knows this government can be trusted to deliver,” he said to cheers from his Conservative lawmakers.
“We’ve taken the tough decisions, we’ve got the big calls right and we’re and in particular I am getting on with the job.”
The explosive confirmation that London’s Metropolitan Police force has now started its own investigation could complicate the release of Gray’s report, but opposition parties insisted on its publication in full.
It is not clear when senior civil servant Sue Gray will turn in her report on the investigation into the alleged lockdown breaches to the government. Johnson has previously promised to publish it in full and to address Parliament about its findings.
Allegations that the prime minister and his staff flouted restrictions imposed on the country to curb the spread of the coronavirus have caused public anger, led some Conservative lawmakers to call for Johnson’s resignation and triggered intense infighting inside the governing party.
The prime minister attended several events, including a crowded gathering held for his birthday in June 2020 at a time when indoor socializing was banned.